1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to household cleaning apparatuses and, more specifically, to a twist-type mop having an adjustable grip and method therefor.
2. Background of the Invention
Twist-style mops are well known. Generally, they comprise a handle, a mop head located at one end of the handle, a wringing grip slidably mounted on the handle and coupled to the head, and a fixed or second grip located near the other end of the handle. Generally, in use, a person places one hand on the fixed/second grip, a second hand on the wringing grip, and wets the mop head. Once the mop head is wet, the user rotates the wringing grip so as to wring out the mop head and remove excess moisture, and then applies the mop head to the floor. All during wringing, the user retains one hand on the wringing grip and the second hand on the fixed/second grip.
In recent years, some attention has been given to improving the wringing grip. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,551 to Cann discloses a twist-type mop wherein the wringing grip has a "compressible region" thereon, so that a user may more effectively wring out excess moisture from the mop head. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,163 to Morad discloses a twist-type mop wherein the wringing grip has a spring and ratchet mechanism to enable more efficient wringing out of the mop head.
However, these and other efforts to improve the efficiency of the twist-type mop have ignored the fixed/second grip portion of the mop apparatus. Thus, the current twist-type mop is essentially one-size-fits all. The wringing grip and the fixed/second grip are maintained (except during actual operation of the wringing grip) at a constant distance from each other. That placement may be comfortable and efficient for one user, but uncomfortable and inefficient for another. A user having relatively shorter arms and one having relatively longer arms will, in the most optimal scenario, have different configuration requirements when it comes to the spacing of the mop grips. And yet the prior art twist-type mops do not take this into account.
Therefore, a need existed to provide a twist-type mop in which the wringing grip and the second grip can be adjusted in position relative to one another. The twist-type mop should have an efficient, locking type wringing grip for efficient wringing action, and a second grip that can be selectively locked and unlocked in a plurality of positions along the mop handle relative to the wringing grip. The twist-type mop should also incorporate gripping aids on both the wringing grip and the second grip so as to further increase efficiency and ease of use.